The widow of “Gone Girl” actress Lisa Banes said Thursday it was “unbelievable” that e-bikes were still running amok five years after her wife was killed in a horrific hit-and-run — as Mayor Zohran Mamdani ends the city’s criminal crackdown.
Kathryn Kranhold, 66, told The Post she thought it was “wrong” to stop doling out criminal penalties to runaway e-bike drivers, given the obvious havoc the two-wheeled terrors create in the city.
“I haven’t read the specifics, but I do know from firsthand experience how horrible this can be for any family to have their partner, wife, child struck by an electric motorcycle, vehicle — whatever you want to call them,” she said.
“They should have some restrictions. They’re not just simple bikes… They’re electric vehicles,” she said. “They should definitely have different standards and rules around them.”
Kathryn Kranhold, 66, at left, is still reeling from the death of her wife Lisa Banes, who was struck and killed by a moped driver in 2021. Obtained by NY Post
E-bike riders no longer will receive criminal summonses for traffic infractions, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration announced this week. Bloomberg via Getty Images
The ex-husband of Theresa Valenti — who was struck and killed by an e-bike rider after she stepped off a bus in Fort Greene, Brooklyn in October — agreed.
“Enough is enough. Take a stance. Crack down now,” Peter Rebic, 64, told The Post.
E-bikes riders, as well as cyclists, had been the subject of a blitz started under former Mayor Eric Adams that saw them slapped with criminal summonses for traffic infractions such as blowing through stop signs or zipping along sidewalks.
But progressives and street safety advocates noted that drivers of cars and trucks didn’t face criminal penalties for identical infractions, and that e-bike-riding delivery workers, often migrants, risked losing their licenses and possibly being deported.
Mamdani announced Wednesday that the NYPD will stop issuing criminal summonses to e-bikers and cyclists for traffic offenses on March 27, after progressives bellyached over the sweeps.
The rollback struck a nerve with Kranhold, a Chelsea resident and journalist, who said she’s still reeling from her wife’s killing by an unlicensed moped driver in June 2021.
“Listen, I think it’s wrong… Obviously e-bikes are creating a lot of havoc in the city,” she said. “I support all the cycling lanes and what we can do to encourage cycling, I support that. But I don’t support e-bikes just running through red lights. They’re just a hazard.
Lisa Banes starred in “Gone Girl,” among many other films. AP
Mamdani rolled back a crackdown on e-bike riders started by his predecessor Eric Adams. Matthew McDermott for NY Post
“It’s unbelievable that this is still going on five years later,” she added, “Unbelievable.”
Banes, 65, who starred in films such as “Gone Girl” and “Cocktail,” was crossing an Upper West Side street when a moped driver ran through a red light, struck her and sped off.
She died at the hospital 10 days later, with police eventually identifying Brian Boyd, then 27, as the hit-and-run driver.
Boyd, who didn’t have a driver’s license and rode an unregistered vehicle, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in 2022. He was released two years later, records show.
Mopeds, unlike e-bikes, require a driver’s license and must be registered under New York law. They’re considered motorcycles under the law and weren’t part of the crackdown that Mamdani rolled back.
Kranhold acknowledged Boyd’s scooter was different than an e-bike, but contended they’re both hazards.
“I stop all my friends at stoplights and I stop them before we cross any street or intersection. I remind them to look always because of these e-bikes,” she said.
“A lot of them are like Vespas. They’re electric vehicles, they’re not just bicycles anymore. They should have different standards.”
Rebic also didn’t hold back his feelings on reckless e-bike riders — and on Mamdani — for ending the criminal penalties, unleashing some vulgarity the mayor’s way.
“Enough is enough,” said Peter Rebic, 64, whose ex-wife Theresa Valenti was allegedly killed by an e-bike rider. William Farrington
“I hate them with a passion,” he said about riders.
“They need to be taught a lesson… Serious or not, if they are looking at a heavy penalty for doing something stupid, it might stop the flow,” he said. “If they’re getting away with it, they’ll think it’s just a ticket, big deal.”
His direct message to Hizzoner?
“I would say, ‘No. You need to stop this nonsense and keep these people in check because if you don’t, it’s going to get worse,’” Rebic said.
